Why don’t we offer a pure Music Production degree?

Our mission at Echo Factory is to ensure that our students graduate with the right skills, knowledge and experience to achieve successful careers with longevity. We feel so strongly about this that we will not run courses — even if they are hugely popular at other institutions — if it’s not in our students’ best interests.

Music Production, sometimes called Music Tech, is the perfect example.

Let’s look at current industry trends:

Traditional recording studios are closing across the UK as they struggle to remain commercially viable at a time when budgets are being squeezed

The last few remaining studios are inundated with CVs of recent graduates looking for unpaid work experience. The demand for engineers just isn’t there!

Advances in tech have enabled artists to take a DIY approach and outsource to freelance/remote musicians and producers with small home studios.

Employment in music rarely looks like a 9-5 job. It requires you to be self-employed, having multiple income streams and being multi-disciplined.

Successful music producers/techs are seizing opportunities across the creative industries, not just looking at music in isolation. They are active in music composition (such as sync licensing) and video production and understand music’s applications to fashion, dance, theatre, film, gaming and other artforms.

The fact is, that regardless of what area of the music industry you want to work in, the key is making yourself employable by having a whole host of specialisms and skillsets. If all you learn is how to geek out in the studio, then that’s all you’ll be able to do. You need many strings to your bow, not just be good at tech or making beats. You could be the best producer in the world but if you don’t know how to monetise your talent or seek out opportunities for work and collaboration, how will you ever pay your bills?

Yet, thousands of students choose to study Music Tech/ Production courses at uni each year, where the curriculum does not address the current needs of the industry nor prepare students for employment based on the current trends outlined above.

University is a big commitment financially, so you need to ensure you choose a course that gives you the best chance of success!

So, how do we address this at Echo Factory?
You’ll be pleased to know we strongly believe in the power of tech and embed a huge amount of it into our courses, which are uniquely flexible so you can specialise in the area you choose.

We take a real-life, practical approach to production, e.g. we aren’t bothered why a microphone works in terms of the scientific theory, we’re much more interested in which mics to use in which setting, how to place them, how to get the best sound out of them etc. Learning is industry-facing, so opportunities for work, placements and projects are a core part of what we do throughout your journey.

We take this approach so that you have a truly rounded and thorough training in all aspects of music. Yes, we’ll make you a great musician/ producer techie but you’ll also become an entrepreneur, knowing exactly how to monetise your talent, have multiple income streams and be able to seek out opportunities across the globe.

You’ll learn key skills around marketing, promotion, management, tech and production, with the opportunity to launch your own business as part of the course.

Our location in the Cultural Quarter of Leicester provides myriad opportunities to work and collaborate across the creative industries (outside of London, Leicester is one of the biggest exporters for creative industries in the whole of the UK).

Check out our courses and get in touch if you’re keen to launch a successful career!